After all, JT Realmuto is coming back to Philadelphia. The star catcher and the Phillies are in agreement on a five-year, $ 115.5 million deal, a source told MLB.com on Tuesday. The club has not confirmed the deal.
The contract, as reported, has the highest average annual value (AAV) for a catcher in MLB history at $ 23.1 million, exceeding the $ 23 million AAV in the extension of Joe Mauer’s 2010 contract with the twins. The Realmuto deal also sets a new record for a free agent contract for a Seeker, exceeding Brian McCann’s $ 85 million pact with the Yankees in 2013.
The agreement includes a salary of $ 20 million this year, but with $ 10 million deferred, to be paid in $ 5 million in installments in 2026 and 27, and a salary of $ 23.875 million per year from 2022-25 . A $ 1 million reallocation payment is included in the event that Realmuto is negotiated, according to a source.
As one of the best supports in the game, Realmuto was a hot commodity in a free agency. In 2019, his first season with the Phillies after a Miami sales success, he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award. In 20, he recorded the best offensive number of his career with 123 OPS + and 11 home runs in 195 plate appearances, all while controlling the racing game, as well as any of the Majors.
Realmuto declined the Phillies’ $ 18.9 million qualifying offer, opting to test the open market for the first time in his career. After being summoned by the Marlins in the third round of the 2010 draft, he spent the first five years of his career in Miami before being sent to Philadelphia in a package that included the right-handed Sixto Sánchez.
The 29-year-old catcher is a .278 career hitter with 111 OPS +, and he is twice All-Star and twice Silver Slugger winner. From 2017-19, Realmuto’s 15.0 Wins Above Replacement, by FanGraphs, ranked first among the catchers and 13th among all position players.
Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003 and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.